MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — While there is a Bass Farm near Castlewood, South Dakota, the online farm equipment store that bears its name is wholly the work of scammers.
KELO-AM News Director Tom Rooney is helping the South Dakota Better Business Bureau sound the alarm after discount shoppers are out a collective $35,000 and counting. The website appears legitimate, with a header featuring a sleek logo comprised of a combine and rows of corn behind bold text announcing “Bass Farm Equipment.” It promises used gear at a great price and even brags about having a 30-day return policy. Another tab explains the buying process and assures customers financing is available.
The fake website brags that Bass Farm Equipment has been around since 1995, over 30 years. Online business search platform Bizapedia.com tells a different story. It lists the company as having filed with the South Dakota Secretary of State on August 26th, 2025, just last summer. The registered agent is Roxanne M. Bass.
Jessie Schmidt, Vice President of the Better Business Bureau South Dakota region, tells KELO-AM she spoke with Roxanne personally, and the Bass Farm Equipment online retailer is in no way connected to what Roxanne’s family is doing in Castlewood. Schmidt warns, “[The Bass’s] own a farm and they also own a sanitation service. They don’t sell farm equipment. We were able to speak directly to Mrs. Bass, who confirmed she has no affiliation with this Bass Farm Equipment. There’s just enough truth there to make you think it may be legitimate.”
On the Bass Farm Equipment Bizapedia page, there is one question for the company. It was posed by a man from Overton, TX, on May 27th. It starts by asking where his equipment is. He elaborates, “Delivery was supposed to be today at 5:30 pm. Unable to reach you and no contact has been made regarding the delivery.”
KELO’s Tom Rooney says their investigation revealed that Bass Farm Equipment will only accept wire payments, which are nearly impossible to track if they turn out to be fraudulent. He says that is a huge red flag for customers and something to be aware of not only now, but in the future.
